Minimum expense for maximum saving

St. Georgen, 28.10.2010 (PresseBox) -
Although compressed air is 'only' air under pressure, at 1.5 to 3 cents per cubic meter, it is one of the most expensive carriers of energy. This is reason enough to use it sparingly. The use of suitable sensors helps analyse and optimise compressed air usage, identifying leaks rapidly and efficiently and reducing maintenance costs. SCHMIDT Technology has now launched its insertion flow sensor SS20.261, which is designed for volumetric flow measurements in compressed air installations of up to 8 bar, is easy to use and competitively priced.

Even if the compressed air production installations are equipped with system components tuned to one another, each compressed air network suffers losses that generate high additional costs. An example: In a medium-sized production plant, compressed air is produced at a compressor power of 960 m3/h. Production runs in a two-shift operation, giving energy costs for compressed air of about 21,000 €. Typical losses of 25% from leaks are commonplace and add an additional 5,300 € to the running costs for the company running the compressed air network. However, the annual costs can be noticeably reduced by optimizing the plant. With an accurate and continuous analysis of the actual consumption, the energy costs could be lowered to about 17,000 €. Realize it by making a one-time investment with 629,-€ for a volumetric flow sensor.

Great price and numerous strengths

SCHMIDT Technology is currently the only sensor manufacturer on the market offering a well priced insertion flow sensor SS20.261, designed specifically for compressed air consumption and identifying leakages within a compressed air network. With its pressure resistance of up to 8 bar it can also be used in industrial processes to monitor and control gas consumption. In these applications, the sensor can detect standardized flow rates from 0.2 m/s up to 40, 60 or 90 m/s. It is available in sensor lengths, 200 and 350 mm and can be inserted in tube diameters from DN25 to DN600. Depending on these lengths, standardized volumetric flows of up to a maximum of 74,000 m3/h can be measured. The measuring accuracy is ±5%. SCHMIDT Technology offers this sensor with high-precision calibration and an ISO calibration certificate, increasing the accuracy to ±3%. This is important for the invoicing of compressed air costs.

For the value to be displayed in m3/h, all that is required is multiplying the tube cross-section and the profile factor by the detected flow rate. Temperature and pressure do not have to be included in the calculation. The reason for this uncomplicated analysis is due to the measuring principle of the flow sensor, which is based on thermal anemometry. This method, which eliminates errors due to conversions from the start, provides a constantly high accuracy without drift and maintenance.

Saving energy and increasing the energy efficiency

Just like other machines, a compressed air plant is also subject to aging. Over time, leaks will occur, from which the air will escape without a sound and in most cases undetected. The stationary detection of measured values by means of permanently fixed insertion sensors allows actual consumptions and leaks to be permanently analyzed during downtimes. This system immediately detects when the limit value is exceeded and maintenance outside the scheduled interval must be carried out. This not only avoids production downtimes, but also reduces maintenance costs and allows maintenance to be scheduled according to the machine status. In addition, continuous recording enables invoicing of compressed air consumptions and cost centre allocation.